Nursing Student Advice from a Northeastern ABSN Graduate

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Nursing school can seem like a frightening prospect, especially if you are in an accelerated program like the ABSN program at Northeastern. Do you have to give up your social life and favorite hobbies in order to earn your Bachelor of Science in Nursing in just 16 months? Of course not!

Stephen Winglass, a graduate of the Accelerated BSN program at Northeastern and working registered nurse, offers his nursing student advice for balancing your social life, hobbies, and classes without hurting your education or relationships.

Balancing Your Life as a Nursing Student

It’s that time of the year! Classes are in full swing and you're already in the thick of classes or you are just beginning to prepare for the Northeastern Accelerated BSN program, and life is looking daunting.

No matter where you are in this process, you are probably feeling overwhelmed or stressed. My worst day each semester was filling out my calendar and realizing that almost every day was completely full of homework, modules, or clinical experiences.

Where was the time for my interests and me? This blog will help you get through those overwhelming experiences that every nursing student has so you can get through the semester.

Nursing Student Advice from a Northeastern ABSN Graduate

Remember Your Interests

Regardless of whether you are just entering into the Northeastern ABSN program or are currently a student, it is important to set yourself up for success. This does not include just studying all hours of the day, but remembering that you are a human being that needs interaction with friends and family and continuing your favorite hobbies.

That sounds crazy, right? Especially if you are currently enrolled in a semester, balancing seven classes, and you are a severe Type A personality like myself! I know I have been there.

So here are some tips that may help you get through your semester with your sanity.

My Nursing Student Advice if You're Stressed

1. Make Sure You're Sleeping

I remember the night terrors when exams were looming, and separating yourself from them seemed impossible. I would stop my cramming two to three hours before bed, make some tea, and find the worst television show possible. This would allow my mind to unwind enough that I could rest and be ready for whatever the next day had to bring.

2. Eat Properly

Nursing school is not the time to start a diet. With this being said, it is not the time to binge eat either. Eating properly and getting the right fruits, vegetables, and proteins will help you have the energy you need to get through each day. Empower those brains!

3. Find Time to See Friends and Family

We all need time with the people who love and care about us. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in lab values, care plans, and disease process that we sometimes forget that there are people who want our time as well.

I would take a day off a week to get away from school and see the people who mattered most to me. They will not only empower you to keep succeeding but motivate you to get through the tasks of the upcoming week.

4. Keep up with Your Favorite Hobbies

fresh-air
It's okay to take a minute for yourself now and then.

I have been performing as a trapeze artist for years now. Part of making it through nursing school was to continue flying. Do some soul searching and answer this: what can you not live without? Is it the gym, your cat, or cooking? Figure it out and keep those important activities in your life.

These are just some basic ideas to get you started, but are all vitally important. Cutting yourself off from the best parts of your life increases depression and decreases productivity. When you sit down to study you want to have the clearest mind possible, because the information you are learning could save a life one day.

Even though nursing school is difficult, it is doable and that is the key point you need to remember. Your modules will always be there. You will always have homework. Get outside, breath some fresh air, and return to your work when you are able to truly sit and absorb the information and study.

Until next month when I discuss the do's and don'ts of starting off in the nursing field! If you have anything that you would like to see written about in the future, please leave it in the comments below!

Take care,
Stephen J. Winglass RN, BSN

Still nervous about nursing school? An admissions advisor can tell you what to expect from your nursing education and explain how online classes let you fit classes around your schedule, as well as tell you how other students like Stephen have balanced their social lives and nursing education.

Speak to Northeastern Accelerated BSN admissions advisor today.

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